The 19 Crown Resorts employees detained in China last October have been charged with offences related to the promotion of gambling, the company announced early Tuesday.
In a filing to the Australian Securities Exchange, Crown said the cases have now been referred to the Baoshan District Court in Shanghai where they are due to appear on 26 June.
The employees include Crown’s head of international VIP gaming Jason O’Connor, fellow Australians Jerry Xuan and Pan Dan, Malaysia’s Alfread Gomez plus 14 Chinese nationals.
Crown said it would be making no further comment on the charges, which carry a sentence of up to three years in prison, however The Australian reports that the three Australian employees could be home as early as July, stating that “the casino group has been quietly working behind the scenes for many months to help progress the legal process in China and is seeking have the Australians serve any custodial sentence back home under a bilateral prisoner transfer agreement.”
The charges laid this week apply to all employees including those previously released on bail. They were originally taken into custody on 13 and 14 October 2016 amid a widespread crackdown on gambling in mainland China.
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